Earlier this week, the NBA started an investigation into Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant because of a finger gun gesture he made during Tuesday`s game against the Golden State Warriors.
Morant, who has a history of disciplinary actions related to gun incidents, was given a warning by the league. According to ESPN`s Shams Charania, the league considered the gesture a celebration that was `not intended to be violent,` but still `inappropriate`.
News about the NBA`s warning to Morant came out around 11:20 a.m. ET on Thursday. About nine hours later, when Morant`s Grizzlies played the Miami Heat, he seemed to make the same gesture again after sinking a 3-pointer.
Adding to the drama of the night, Morant later made a buzzer-beating fadeaway jump shot, securing a crucial 110-108 victory for Memphis over Miami.
While finger gun motions are not new in the NBA, Morant`s situation is unique because of his past. He has been suspended by the NBA multiple times for gun-related incidents, including an Instagram Live video where he displayed a gun at a Colorado nightclub and another Instagram Live video where he flashed one in a car. There was also an alleged incident where someone in Morant`s SUV pointed a red laser at an Indiana Pacers team bus, but the NBA couldn`t confirm any actual threat with a weapon.
In Tuesday`s game, Morant made the finger gun gesture towards the Warriors bench as he walked to his own bench after a timeout in the fourth quarter`s final minute. Warriors guard Buddy Hield had made a similar gesture shortly before the timeout. Hield also received a warning from the NBA, as did both teams, according to ESPN.
When deciding on disciplinary actions, the NBA takes a player`s history into account. This likely played a significant role in Morant`s first gun suspension being eight games and his second being 25 games. This precedent was recently reinforced this week. Several players were suspended after a fight between the Pistons and Timberwolves on Sunday, but Isaiah Stewart received a two-game suspension partly because of his `repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts.`
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has extensive authority in matters of discipline. If he believes Morant`s gesture goes against the league`s best interests, he can fine or suspend the player. Earlier on Thursday, the NBA decided the gesture itself wasn`t enough for discipline. However, ignoring a league warning could be seen as a different situation.
The Grizzlies entered Thursday`s games in a three-way tie for the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Clippers. Every win is vital at this point in the season, and losing Morant for even one game could be very damaging. The league did not punish Morant after Tuesday`s finger gun gesture, and now the Grizzlies will hope they won`t after this latest incident either.
Jasper Hawthorne